Skip to content

Neighbourhood guide

Downtown and the Financial District

In depth·Financial District

The towers of Bay Street, Union Station, City Hall and the PATH below.

By the ULTIMATE Toronto Editorial Team

The Great Hall of Union Station, with its clock and departure boards — The Great Hall of Union Station, with its clock and departure boards
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Milan Suvajac · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown runs from the lake north to Queen Street and beyond: Union Station and the Fairmont Royal York on Front Street, the towers of the Financial District on Bay and King, the Hockey Hall of Fame in an old bank, and City Hall’s curved towers above their square. Beneath it all, the PATH links the towers underground.

Sights

Union Station, the Hockey Hall of Fame, City Hall and its square, Allan Gardens, St. Michael’s Cathedral and the Eaton Centre.

Eating and drinking

Canoe in the TD Bank Tower, Dineen Coffee, Library Bar and afternoon tea at the Royal York.

Skaters on the City Hall rink at dusk, beneath the arches — Skaters on the City Hall rink at dusk, beneath the arches
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Benson Kua from Toronto, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Staying

The Fairmont Royal York and the St. Regis.

Use the PATH on winter days; come up for City Hall and the Eaton Centre.

Our advice: on a weekday, see the towers at lunchtime, when the PATH is busiest.

Why it's on our list

Sights
Eating and drinking
Staying

What’s nearby

Distances from Downtown and the Financial District are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.

Nearest subway and streetcar stops

KingSubway200 m3 min walk
UnionSubway350 m4 min walk
St. AndrewSubway400 m5 min walk

Key sights

St. Lawrence Market700 mWalk 9 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 10 min
CN Tower850 mWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 11 min
Art Gallery of Ontario1.1 kmWalk 14 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 11 min
Distillery District1.7 kmWalk 21 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 13 min
Royal Ontario Museum2.4 kmWalk 30 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 15 min
Island ferries3.1 kmWalk 38 minCycle 15 minCar or taxi 17 min
Casa Loma4.0 kmCycle 20 minCar or taxi 20 min
Pearson airport20 kmCar or taxi 69 min

Main stations

St. Andrew400 mWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 9 min
Union Station450 mWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 9 min
Bloor-Yonge2.5 kmWalk 31 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 16 min

Location

The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.

Open in Google Maps

More in depth

The long aisle of St. Lawrence Market, lined with fish and food stalls

The back storyToronto at the table: stars, Bibs and a city of many kitchensThirteen One MICHELIN Star restaurants, from Alo and Edulis to Sushi Masaki Saito and Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto, the Bib Gourmand tables of Chinatown and Dundas West, and St. Lawrence Market: how Toronto eats.

A peameal bacon sandwich

The back storyCanadian FoodThe peameal bacon sandwich, the butter tart, poutine, the Nanaimo bar, maple syrup and Niagara icewine: what to eat in Toronto.

The stone façade of the Fairmont Royal York on Front Street

The back storyWhere Toronto sleeps: Yorkville, downtown and the west endThe Four Seasons, the Hazelton and the Park Hyatt in Yorkville, the Royal York opposite Union Station, the Ritz-Carlton, the St. Regis and Nobu downtown, and the Drake and the Gladstone on Queen West: where to stay in Toronto.